Former India batsman Abhinav Mukund has said that he feels Mumbai Indians (MI) should continue to play Naman Dheer at No. 3 after their win over Gujarat Titans (GT) on Monday.
Dheer was sent to bat at No. 3 against GT after debutant Danish Malewar was dismissed in the second over. MI lost two more wickets in the powerplay as Dheer had to watch it all from the non-striker end.
Naman Dheer saved MI from collapse
The fall of early wickets meant that Naman Dheer was batting at number 3 rather than playing his usual role towards the end of the innings. Dheer did his job excellently to avoid the collapse and give MI a chance.
After an early walk, Dheer had to see his more experienced teammates Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav dismissed within the powerplay as Kagiso Rabada was on fire all over Ahmedabad. In the middle overs, Tilak Verma was struggling to put the bat on the ball, but Naman Dheer saved the innings by scoring a valuable 45 runs in 32 balls.
Verma eventually completed his century on the last ball of the innings and Dheer remained the second highest scorer.
Mukund says MI should stick with Dhir at No. 3
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, former India batsman Mukund said, “He is a very good player who unfortunately has not been able to find a place in the top order for Mumbai due to the abundance of resources.”
Asked whether Naman Dheer should continue at No. 3 for MI, Mukund said, “So right now, he needs to take a decision on whether he stays at No. 3 and I think that’s something he will do.” [do] Because they have found the winning formula.”
Mumbai Indians broke their four-match losing streak with a stunning 99-run win over Gujarat Titans.
Mukund elaborates on the implications of letting Dheer bat at number three
Talking about what the implications would be if Dheer bats at number three, Mukund elaborated, “Surya bats at number four, and on a left-right basis. [combination]Maybe they will switch between Rutherford, Pandya and Tilak for that five, six and seven.”
Also read: Will Tilak Verma become the captain of Mumbai Indians in place of Hardik Pandya? Aakash Chopra’s bold prediction turned heads
The match against GT was the first time in 19 matches that Naman Dheer batted at number 3 for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Apart from his heroics with the bat, Naman Dheer also took three catches in the field.
MI’s next matches
Mumbai Indians will face arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings on April 26 at their home ground Wankhede Stadium. MI’s win over GT will surely give them both relief and confidence from their dominant performance.
The two most successful teams in IPL history are currently placed seventh and eighth on the points table with four points each. Both teams have got only two wins in six matches. This means that IPL’s ‘El Clasico’ may be a mere battle for survival rather than the grand spectacle it is expected to be.
